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Weird historical trend continuing would see Panthers make deep playoff run

If history is any indication, the Panthers could hang around for a long time.
Zach Roberts|
Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Panthers helmet rests on the bench against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Panthers helmet rests on the bench against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are, for all intents and purposes, a fake playoff team. It counts that they made it, but no one's going to look back too fondly on going 8-9 and having a -69 point differential but making it anyway.

They're heavy underdogs. The NFL world is a litlte bit up in arms about them getting to host a playoff game against the 12-win Los Angeles Rams. Everyone's getting their takes off about how bad the Panthers really are, and how badly they'll lose.

However, a few weird historic trends suggest that the Panthers might actually hang around a little longer than anyone expects them to.

Strange trends would have Panthers making NFC Championship Game at minimum

Carolina Panther
Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton (88) runs against Carolina Panthers safety Tre'von Moehrig (7) in the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

We covered the fact that every one of the three worse playoff teams (per point differential) in NFL history had all won their first games, and that the 2014 Panthers, at 7-8-1, won their playoff game. That means some history is on their side.

It gets even weirder, though. Every single time the Panthers have dropped a commemorative patch, the very next year, they've gone on a run to at least the NFC Championship Game.

They had a patch for the inaugural season in 1995, and they made the NFCCG in 1996. They had a 10-year patch in 2004 and made the 2005 NFCCG. The same thing happened for the 20th season in 2014, as the 15-1 2015 Panthers made the Super Bowl.

10 years later, they had the 30-year patches in 2024. It's 2025, so history would suggest a big run is coming for the Panthers.

That's not all, though. If you can believe it, it gets even stranger. The Ohio State Buckeyes won the national championship while the Panthers finished with a losing record. Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce during the year, too. The Panthers also opened the next season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The other two times those things all happened? 2002-2003 and 2014-2015, with it also happening in 2024-2025. Both times, the Panthers went to the Super Bowl. The weird, strange evidence is mounting for a deep playoff run.

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Zach Roberts
ZACH ROBERTS

Zachary Roberts is a journalist with a wide variety of experience covering basketball, golf, entertainment, video games, music, football, baseball, and hockey. He currently covers Charlotte sports teams and has been featured on Sportskeeda, Yardbarker, MSN, and On SI.

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